James H. (Jim) Gulseth was born and attended high school in Devils Lake, North Dakota and graduated with an A.B. degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Jim earned his JD degree at the University of California Hastings School of Law in San Francisco and is admitted to practice in the State of California and before the Federal District Court, Northern District of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. He is a member of the Corporations, Business Transactions, Securities and Tax and Intellectual Property Sections of the State Bar of California. Jim’s reported cases include...

Robert L. (Bob) Taylor was born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended high school in Berkeley, California. Bob graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with high honors from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982 with an A.B. degree in Economics. Bob graduated from the Boalt Hall School of Law (UC Berkeley) in 1985, where he was a member of the California Law Review. In 1985, he was admitted to practice in the State of California and before the Federal District Court, Northern District of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. He has since also been admitted...

After 22 years as a trial attorney, I have decided to limit my practice to furthering the cause of disability access and ending disability discrimination in the workplace, at home and in public places. If you are disabled temporarily or permanently, you have special rights but no government agency to enforce them. If you think you have been the victim of discrimination, call us now for a free consultation.

We provide legal advice and representation to those who have been physically or financially damaged through the fault of others. We understand that every case is unique and we take the time to listen to our clients, review their options, and tailor our solutions taking into account their goals and preferences. We bring to every case our experience, focus, and dedication to results. We negotiate when we can and litigate when we have to. If you are unsure how to proceed after suffering injury, let us help determine the best course of action.

Bryan Schwartz is an Oakland, California-based attorney dedicated to helping employees protect their rights in the workplace. He has fought prohibited discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, obtained reasonable accommodations for disabled employees, vindicated whistleblowers' rights, and ensured that corporations pay workers all wages they are owed. He has successfully litigated individual and class action complaints nationwide, helping to recover millions of dollars for thousands of employees, forcing corporations and Government agencies to change their practices and punish wrongdoers.
Bryan Schwartz is also one of the few Bay Area-based attorneys with extensive experience representing Federal employees in their unique Merit Systems...

Help small to medium size companies navigate through a wide variety of legal challenges: formation, funding, governmental impediments, operational legal planning, merger and acquisition, employee relations, and labor compliance. All with the goal of litigation avoidance. Litigation in all California state courts and the Northern and Eastern U.S. District Courts of California.

A resident of Oakland, Len spent much of his legal career with prestigious, top-ranked, San Francisco law firms. Mr. Watkins brings the same level of expertise, and standard of excellence, to his practice in the East Bay. Focusing on consumer bankruptcy and business law, Mr. Watkins’ depth of experience and training include:
A Masters of Business Administration, concentrating on finance, from the University of California, at Davis
A stock brokerage license (inactive) from the National Association of Securities Dealers
A California Real Estate Broker’s license
Previous Experience
Business Attorney
Norris & Norris (now...

Dylan Hughes is a partner at Gibbs Law Group and of counsel to Girard Gibbs LLP specializing in the prosecution of class actions. He represents plaintiffs in cases involving defective products, telecommunications, credit cards, product liability, credit repair, employment misclassification and wage and hour disputes under state and federal laws. Mr. Hughes has extensive experience prosecuting complex automobile-defect cases and helped achieve recoveries on behalf of class members in the In Re General Motors Dex-Cool Cases (settlement of $50 to $800 cash reimbursements per class member vehicle repair) and In Re General Motors Cases, JCCP No. 4396, a certified...

Since his admission to the State Bar of California, Kellen has represented primarily individuals, never representing large corporations or government agencies. He has knowledge and experience in protecting the rights of his fellow citizens against organizations and governments, especially in the employment context. He has worked with dozens of clients in state and federal court, arbitration, and mediation. Before attending law school, Kellen worked for many years in the healthcare industry. Working closely with patients gave him an appreciation for the diffculties faced by people with disabilities. In his legal experience, he has represented dozens of disabled clients...

I am a former police officer and deputy district attorney. I have been in private practice since 1994. I bring the experiences I have gained to fight for my clients. Whether you have an employment, business or real property transaction or you are involved in a dispute, my firm will work diligently to represent you in negotiations, administrative, civil or criminal proceedings from initiation through appeal. I routinely represent both employees and employers in wage and hour and discrimination cases. I provide advice and represent individuals, corporations and limited liability partnerships and companies in real property matters...

Ben Hamburg provides mediation services to parties seeking to resolve their disputes without the risk inherent in proceeding through trial, and additionally provides services as an arbitrator. Ben has had significant success in resolving some of the most difficult cases utilizing creative solutions. Ben also represents parties in litigation and transactional matters.

Legal Experience
Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of California, 1994-2005.
Civil Chief, 2001-2003
Deputy Civil Chief, 1998-2001
AUSA, 1994-1998, 2003-2005
Attorney of record in cases resulting in over twenty published decisions;
Litigated hundreds of cases in federal district court;
Litigated over 80...

I was born in Latin America and grew up in San Francisco. A product of the Bay Area, I studied economics at UC Berkeley before moving to Washington, DC, where I worked at both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve. In 2003, I embarked on my legal studies at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, NY. Upon graduation, I worked as a corporate associate in Manhattan at a boutique international law firm. There I had the opportunity to work on a wide array of corporate transactions, from financing the construction of a hotel in NYC, structuring investments...

I have been practicing all aspects of employment law for more than 20 years, including representation of both employers and employees. I assist with all types of employment contracts, wage and hour issues, employment discrimination issues including sexual harassment, employee manuals, workplace safety, wrongful termination, discipline issues, and so on. And when a lawsuit cannot be avoided, I will also handle your litigation needs.

Rae has extensive experience, having successfully represented hundreds of clients throughout her career. At Lovko & King, her focus is on providing client-focused representation at an affordable price.

Arthur Lazear has practiced law for more than 30 years, helping to obtain successful results for worthy clients nationwide. Mr. Lazear has prosecuted some of the biggest class actions ever litigated in employment law, but has never abandoned his level of personal attention to each client, which is the firm’s hallmark.

Mr. Lazear’s father was a janitor, an immigrant from Ukraine who worked nights in a tireless effort to provide his children the hope of a better life, that they might realize the American Dream. The example set by his father inspired Mr. Lazear’s lifelong commitment to protecting and enforcing the...

University of San Francisco School of Law9th Circuit, California, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California and U.S. District Court, Southern...

Employment law governs the relationship between workers and their employers. This law, contained in federal and state statutes, administrative regulations, and judicial decisions, specifies the rights and restrictions applicable to each party in the workplace.

This area of law regulates such issues as employee benefits, discipline, hiring, firing, leave, payroll, and health and safety in the workplace. It also encompasses non-compete agreements, retaliation, severance, unemployment compensation, pensions, whistle-blowing, worker classification, wage garnishment, work authorization for non-U.S. citizens, worker's compensation, and employee handbooks.

Both federal and state laws govern the relationship between employees and employers. Federal laws such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on certain characteristics. Many states have enacted their own laws similar to federal ones (and sometimes are more stringent). Cities and counties also can enact ordinances that affect employee rights, such as local minimum wage laws.

Employment lawyers can choose to accept only employees as clients, only employers, or both. Some attorneys focus on a specific area of employment law, such as workers' compensation, whistleblowing or discrimination, but many can handle a wide range of employment law issues.

Essential job functions:
The fundamental job duties of the employment position that the individual with a disability holds or desires. The term essential functions does not include marginal functions of the position.

Exempt employee:
An employee who is not entitled to the minimum wage or overtime pay protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act.